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desifromthewest-blog · 8 years

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The true meaning of Patriotism

Few days back, I was telling one of my friends about how eagerly I was looking forward towards celebrating 14th August this year. Even though it is my second year away from the country, but that excitement level remains super high as it used to be, when I was an annoying kid. But unfortunately I was totally appalled to read the reply I received from other side.

‘Why the hell are you so overly excited towards independence day?’

‘You don’t even live here. Why would you even care?’

‘You and all those Pakistanis who live abroad are just naam ke Pakistani’s warna bahar hi kyn jaate’

To be honest, I don’t think any of the above statements hold enough significance to be even addressed to, since devotion lies in your heart and is woven in to your soul. And there is certainly no need to provide explanations to anyone in the world about how much you miss your country or the reasons you left it in the first place, but since it is the independence day of my country, the land where I opened my eyes, my parents were born in, the place where I grew up and spent 20 precious years of my life; I do own this country and that is not just me but the rest of the Pakistani people who are living in different parts of the world and trying their best to ameliorate the image of Pakistan in front of the world.

We all are humans and are entangled under different circumstances. Nobody feels delighted to leave their country even if they move abroad for whatsoever reason; you do feel partial no matter how much you progress in life. Life is challenging especially when you belong to a country which is quite prominent in the news for obvious reasons; terrorism, corruption, scandals associated with politicians, sportsman, media celebrities and what not. Here I would like to quote an incident where there is not even slightest exaggeration but recently a friend of mine here was in a mall and she saw a lady from Palestine so she said salaam and introduced herself as a Pakistani since whenever two people meet or stop by to say salaam, the next question is an obligatory one that where are you from? The lady bluntly said ‘Ohh you are a Pakistani. I am not at all pleased to meet you’. And my friend was startled in a way that she couldn’t even utter a word after that. Like seriously? That is often the case when you go out looking for employment opportunities. They would always treat us differently or would keep an eye on just because of the nationality. One of the people even advised me to lie about my nationality lol (people and their stupid suggestions) and all I could do was give her that glare. Duhh why would I lie about something that is a part of me? Or why would I or anyone else be contrite over their identity? I am so proud of the green passport I hold as my identity here.

You don’t have to be physically present in Pakistan or live in Pakistan to be patriotic or a true staunch Pakistani. It is funny how people are all excited to celebrate jashan e azadi and when they are asked about how they are going to celebrate it. Well, I have planned a hangout with my friends. Umm we have a one dish party at our place. We have filled our house with jhandiyan and Pakistani flags. We are going to sea view with friends to attend a concert and blah blah. I mean I don’t get this point that how on the earth are any of the above activities going to show your love towards your country? If you are going out to eat with friends and family, how are you trying to pay back to a country that has given you so much since the moment you are born? The witty part is that we don’t even feel patriotic except during the initial days or until the mid of August. The rest of the year, we ourselves are busy taunting our own country for uncountable reasons. It is nice to celebrate your independence day but celebrating Independence Day just for the sake of green clothes and hanging out with a bunch of your friends and doing nothing productive or useful for the country does no justice towards your identity.

I know many of the people reading this are going to criticize me k wahan se beth ke sab yehi bolte hain and stuff but had I been there in Pakistan, I would have been on a similar page and have said the same thing . What is the point of putting up the flag when you cannot even show the same respect for it the very next day and that dignified flag ends up becoming a part of the thrash in our bins? It has been 69 years to independence but independence is not just about breathing in a free land. Independence is also about letting free thoughts to evolve in our minds, it is about accepting the differences and taking an initiative to enhance our self and the land we live in. It’s ironic to see the barbaric homicide in the name of honor killing, even though we proclaim ourselves as a modern and azaad nation, but the truth is that we still cannot digest the sectarian differences and even today, our minorities are not completely safe and unassailable despite the fact that they not only are a component of our national flag but also constitute a salient part of the country’s population. Patriotism is also embracing people for who they are because they belong to the same land as yours. If you sincerely value something, everything associated with that particular thing becomes considerable and worthy of respect and love. It is quite simple this way, if you Love Pakistan, you have to appreciate and respect the people who live there, who are Pakistani’s before being anything else. Life is going to be much easier this way. Before celebrating Independence Day, we must make sure that freedom exists in our mentality. That is the tragedy/ almia of our nation: jab tak soch azaad nai hogy tab tak hum ek azaad qoum ho hi nai sakte. Translation: We can’t regard ourselves as an independent nation unless we become permissive and liberal in the way we think. Where on one hand, Pakistan is bound to deal with paramount issues, we as a nation are still baffled between discriminating and mocking the trans-gendered communities, throwing disparaging remarks to anyone who tries to be different or fails to show compatibility with our mental level, where we still are settling wrangles over the classification as sindhis, muhajirs and pakhtoons, where we still are inhumane to burn girls alive for the sake of dowry, we continue living in the society where women are being brutally raped and child molestation is becoming frequent but we are too naive to speak about it openly. A nation, who has started to believe, that the criterion of modernity lies in wearing lesser clothes and wasting handsome amount of money on extravagances. It is high time that we as a nation must metamorphose ourselves in to a refined and thoughtful nation, and this transformation isn’t possible unless every individual decides to transmute the substance of their intellect. As I mentioned earlier, celebrating Independence Day alone is not enough and justified till we develop azaadi in our beliefs and reasoning or what we term in Urdu as soch.

Anyhow, I would like to wish a very happy Independence Day to all my fellow Pakistanis around the world. May the country continue to prosper and we stay united as one single nation. Oh and above all, hopefully we get rid of the corrupt politicians before Pakistan completes its 70 years. Ameen.

LONG LIVE PAKISTAN.

-sabika.H

#independenceday #pakistan #patriotism

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desifromthewest-blog · 8 years

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Eid Mubarak to all my followers ❤

Since Eid preparations must be on point :3 eid Mubarak to every one around the world ❤❤ #eid2016 #blessings

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desifromthewest-blog · 8 years

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High on Memories!

You know whenever I hear people talking about how they need escape from their memories or how badly their memories haunt them, it befuddles me a lot. Yes, I do agree that memories are not always very enchanting and at times you don’t feel okay to reminisce them but anyhow, good or bad they do transform you either way. To me, memories are the most aesthetically priceless asset you owe in your life. The reason I believe this to be true is because these memories are going to be there with you even if the people who are part of them are not by your side anymore, or even if you no longer are there at the places you once were ought to be. Nobody, I repeat, nobody has this sway to take this prized possession away from you, not even your own self. No matter how many years go by, no matter how many people bid us a goodbye, how extensively time differs, no matter how much things vary (for better or worse); those memories would remain to be the very same and each time you sit back to recall them, they would linger you with a kind of elation and exultation as if you are experiencing all those amazing times again.

These days when Ramadan is approaching to its end, and we all are anxiously waiting to welcome Eid ul fitr since this meethi eid brings you the opportunity to collect handsome amount of eidi; if not, you can always grab some from your younger siblings by either emotionally blackmailing them, or by fooling them some way or the other *wink wink*, plus lots of new clothes, sweets and yummy sheer khorma everywhere and what not. For me, the best part about eid ul fitr is dressing up and eating lots of scrumptious food especially kebabs. Isn’t it cool? Each time you visit some relative, you can eat like a total bhukkar and pretend that you haven’t eaten anything since morning by making an innocent puppy face and then you get to eat more and more. Well don’t judge me but that is what I used to do till a few years back. *hides away face*

Now you must be thinking why did I began this story by giving a serious kind of lecture; full of emotions and that too, about memories, making it look like some boring article we often browse on internet during depressive phase, whereas later on I conveniently diverted away from where I started directing this story towards eid talks. Blame my friends for all this bewilderment since each one of them is either posting their shopping selfies on instagram, or snap chatting live from the overcrowded bazars and shopping malls making me feel extra jealous about their eid shopping. And guess what? The rest of the lot is asking me about the eid preparations and stuff. Lol. Oh and I still don’t get this thing that why do people use this doggie filter on snap chat while trying on their eid clothes? I mean what’s the point…? You can inbox or dm me the answer if you know why because I am literally muddled. Argh, ok let’s come back to the topic. So all these events have made me a bit nostalgic and too high hence I decided to share about how eid is celebrated here abroad (west) and how it is completely different to the way we celebrate it in Pakistan along with recalling memories of Eid in Pakistan.

Growing up in Pakistan and specifically in a desi family, I have always been overly enraptured for eid. The essence of Ramadan is self-explanatory as I don’t think most of us have enough time for the rest of the year to devote ourselves completely in to ibadat and praying with utmost dedication however Ramadan is such an occasion Allah has blessed us with, to seek blessings, forgiveness and push aside the worldly affairs for a while. Back in my childhood, I was a total tom boy who preferred wearing jeans and top even on eid while my mom used to forcefully make me wear some decent girly shalwar kameez at least for a few hours so that I could experience eid like other typical girls of my age. Time flies and so I grew up and turned out to be exactly how my mommy wanted me to be. And so since past many years, I am the one who gets super crazy on eid and is most concerned about wearing proper eastern wear with matching eastern jewelry and bangles and all other typical eid preparations. Anyhow, so the eid in Pakistan was thrilling from sitting down in front of television on the 29th Ramadan and desperately waiting for the Moon sighting committee (hilal committee) to announce the observance of the moon. And if due to any reason, you miss out watching television (all thanks to K-electric, you don’t need any other reason I believe), you can still know its eid the very next day when you hear those patakhas, firing, fireworks and of course, not to forget, the chand raat Mubarak messages flowing in to your inbox, those jammed networks and no matter what network you have ; warid, zong, djuice, jazz, you wouldn’t get proper signals since every single person believes it is their duty to circulate eid Mubarak messages to every other contact in the contact list. I still remember how restless people get when the moon is not sighted and those mixed emotions people experience when they realize they have to fast for another day, lol. And then we all are well aware of the traffic of Karachi, how people eventually leave their homes to celebrate chaandraat in between those jammed packed roads, women doing last minute bargaining with the shop keepers, some of the aunties fighting with the tailors since tailors are always the ones messing up with clothes at the eleventh hour, those huge queues outside the salons where everyone goes super crazy to pamper themselves and getting their henna done, people gathering up outside the bakeries and super markets to get all the possible food stock for the next three days, those dilpasand and lado soap advertisements we have been watching since day one wishing all ahle Pakistan dil ki gehraaiyon se eid Mubarak, Peshawar celebrating eid a day before the rest of the country and a million other things gearing up that are indescribable. Well, to be honest, I have experienced each of the situations I mentioned above and I remember my cousins and brothers getting annoyed each time all of us had to go for our salon or tailor trip at the last moment.

This is my second eid abroad but you don’t get to see all that ‘chahel pehal and ronaq’ (using these Urdu words since I don’t think any angraizi word could do justice to my over flowing emotions currently) here. There are a certain areas and communities where there are Pakistani shops and food streets and people do gather there but that is not even 5% of the view we get to see on Pakistani roads on chaand raat. I am not even exaggerating here and people residing abroad would agree to it completely. Firstly, you don’t have tailors here so you cannot go and yell at them for not doing your clothes on time. Secondly, mostly people prefer visiting their relatives and the maximum you could do is either sit back at home and enjoy or go out to eat or gather some friends at your place and apply henna and stuff. Sad life. One common element that I have observed is the passion of offering Eid prayer. Either you live in Pakistan or abroad, this trend of offering eid prayer is similar at both the places. You know? Most of the people don’t even get eid holidays here unless your managers are big hearted and magnanimous enough to give you an off on eid day and then make you work like a dog some other day as a compensation (which does happen sometimes). But even if you have to reach for the job early morning, people do manage to arrange and rush to offer eid prayer early morning and that gathering at mosque DOES make you feel like its Eid. Dressed up in colorful clothes, offering prayer together, greeting and wishing everyone eid and showering Love around, it is beautiful especially when you live in a place with majority having a distinct culture.

Back in Pakistan, it was this tradition that we used to collect eidi early morning from our immediate family. And then there was this grand yummy breakfast consisting of all the heavenly homemade dishes and later in afternoon, I used to sit and watch television for hours wasting my eid day without any shame for the rest of the day until some of the relatives decided to show up. Most of us either visit the nana and dada’s place the very first day and then visit the other extended family the next few days or it’s the other way round followed by grand eid dawats and meet up. That is how it is but here in the west, you get to celebrate eid for the first two days and if you are super lucky, also the third day and that’s it. Since we are lucky that it is July this time on eid otherwise, you have to go to school and university even on eid day. That sucks big time like seriously, I was giving a presentation last year on second day of eid in my accounting class talking about debiting and crediting accounts while my mind was constantly thinking about gulab jamuns and kheer lol.

But the best part of celebrating eid here is getting eidi in DOLLARS. Huhuhu . I guess that is the only good part and you can brag about it like a complete shoda to your friends while converting the figures in to rupees lol. I have seen my not so immediate cousins doing this back in our childhood and I hated them for doing this every single time after all eidi is eidi, it is the thought that counts.

Anyhow, Eid is all about spreading love and happiness. While this trend of exchanging greeting cards is decreasing in Pakistan, it is surprising to see this trend elevating here. They do sell eid greeting cards here on the book stores and they have customised eid special stamps too which is a heartwarming gesture for people like me looking for choti choti khushiyan (happiness). No matter what part of the world you are living in, eid is the same if you are surrounded by family, friends and of course your loved ones. So make most of it this time too. I am already expecting to see everybody posting their eid selfies on every social media account (that includes me as well), lots of people posting food pictures that is going to make me jealous for sure, lots of chaand raat posts and henna posts. But I would just like to add one small reminder here: on this joyous occasion, don’t forget to pray for the ones who left us this year, for the families that are still struggling with this pain of losing their loved ones. Be with them, feel their pain and most importantly, pray for them. This world and humanity needs more of it. Hence keep the victims of Baghdad, Bangladesh, Turkey, Saudi Arab, Pakistan and everyone else who is suffering these terror attacks in your prayers. May Allah bless us. Eid Mubarak in advance since most of the people are looking forward to their last fast of this Ramadan 2016.

#ramadan2016 #eid2016 #eidinpakistan

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desifromthewest-blog · 8 years

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Dear Dad,

Dear dad,

Last night I saw you in my dream. I was staggered (patently in happiness) because I don’t get to see you that often in my dreams but last night, you appeared somehow. I must tell you dad, you looked as handsome and good-looking as you did, when I saw you for the last time. You were dressed in that formal gray shirt, dark brown pant with that tie in your neck; your spectacles resting on your bright brown eyes and you waving us good bye before leaving for your work. I was bewildered to see you that way because in all these years, I have grown in to a young lady but you, you were just the same. I no longer have that same round face now, I don’t carry that bob hair anymore, my fringes don’t rest on my forehead and I have grown taller now; tough not 6’1 yet. Had you been here, I would have been up till your shoulders I guess. I wish you were right here to see me transform in to a mature young lady, just the way you wanted me to be, but I believe you watch me every single day from heaven so you already are aware of everything that I do and all that I am today.

Dad, you know it is father’s day tomorrow. I no longer feel dejected to see the rest of the world celebrating this day while I trying hard to recollect all those faded memories of you in my mind. I don’t think missing you just on father’s day would do justice to your substance. You have always been on my mind and are missed deeply every single day. Though I do not communicate it that often because I prefer pretending myself to be an alien when it comes to expressing love, but I do and you know that too. In all these years, my eyes kept searching you. Through crowds, amongst groups of gentlemen walking out of their offices, amongst dads waiting to receive their children outside the school premises, amongst the audience applauding for my achievements, on my graduation, in the departure lounge when I was leaving, my eyes kept looking for you; How desperately I wanted to see your name on top of my phone’s dial pad on my result day every single year. You have been there even when you physically were not present with us. It is ironic how I have adopted most of your traits which is totally unintentional. You know it gives me immense pleasure when someone tells me that hey you just grinned the way your dad used to, or when ma tells me that my gestures, body language, the way I deliver speech, the way my handwriting is as tiny as yours haha and guess what? Even my signature is similar to yours tilted and long going in upwards direction, the way I turn my head when someone calls my name, the way I isolate myself from un appealing conversations, the way I nod, the way I prefer rice over roti, the way I don’t like eating dahi baray (though I have started eating them now). Even my food preferences are just the same as yours. It is like the treat to my ears to listen something like this. Isn’t it paradoxical? I mean we have managed to spend just a few years together before your demise but still, I have become more like you and I am proud of it.

Well, I cannot thank you enough for whatever you did for me and for us in all the years that you happened to live. You have been a great person, literally it is overwhelming to see people always remembering you in kind words and speaking of you in high regard. I certainly cannot thank Allah enough for blessing me with a dad who was a phenomenal human being, a caring and supporting husband and even better father. Though your demise is a loss that could never be compensated, but the way you embraced martyrdom is something we all are immensely proud of. I have learned to become more responsible and I try to act sensible now. I don’t throw immediate reactions to actions anymore and I am still in the process of becoming everything you wanted me to be.

No matter how much I write, it could never be enough, dad, and I guess that is the reason it is said that there are certain things in life that are better left unsaid. Therefore, I am saving this letter in hope that you will somehow read it since there is no way to send letters and emails to heaven otherwise, you would have received trillions of them in all these years.

Stay as handsome as you were back in that time.

Lots of love,

Happy father’s day, dad.

Sabika.

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desifromthewest-blog · 8 years

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Heart vs. Mind

So the other day, I was procrastinating during late afternoon on my warm and cosy bed drinking a cup of hot chocolate and allowing some serious thoughts to wander in the garden of my mind which rarely happens, I tell you.. OK just kidding, I can be completely opposite to what I write at times in my real life haha. Anyway, I was contemplating about some recent events in my life for instance how I was dying to buy a top at H&M’s which had exorbitant price and was pretty much out of my budget so I consoled myself by just trying it out in the fitting room and imagining myself wearing it at some important event because duhh I bet that is what most of us do in situations like these. So my mind was pushing me not to buy that top because firstly it was pricey and secondly, my mind was sure that the next time I visit this outlet, I would find something even better and would go heads over heels for that too ( my mind knows me too well I swear) . But my heart was contradicting my thoughts and I felt I should buy that beautiful top and do something about keeping my monthly budget in control, later. You know what? These hearts vs. mind wars are terrible because your heart tells you to do something that your mind would never approve of. At least for me, that is the case every single time. Well I didn't purchase that top because luckily the lady on the cash counter was generous enough to reveal that it was a last piece and there was a slight defect in the dress that I probably overlooked in my fondness for the royal blue colour of that gorgeous silk top therefore, my heart and mind were both at ease and peace lol.

So coming back to the point, it is hard to decide whether to go with what your mind tells you which is actually the call of your brain. Or to go with what your heart instructs you. Practically, it’s better to use your brain. That’s what I have been told since day one to use my un-used portion of brain as well and think rationally while taking any sorts of decision. And I have been following this advice obediently like a compliant kid. For instance, to save up rather than spending crazily on shopping; that’s the worst part of being a shopaholic. You don’t realize how much are you spending or rather wasting until you are broke financially as well as emotionally because duhhh the consequences you suffer later when you see those horrifying credit card bills, makes you highly prone to immediate cardiac attacks. But honestly, I feel the decisions I took while considering my emotions and sentiments proved to be far better for me. So yeah I do think rationally while taking any sort of decision but I certainly don’t ignore the cry of my beloved heart. The reasons being that when I listen to my heart, I no longer have the audacity to blame myself for anything that happens in accordance to or against my will, I do not regret my decisions later on and I don’t even feel guilty about them which is mightily crucial for a person like me who is a massive over thinker. You have no idea how complicated is your life if you are an over thinker and find it difficult to let go off things.

You know it is uncanny at times when you sit down to ponder about minute and trivial things in your life that must be ignored. For instance, let me give you my own examples but you better not judge me ahh. I am the kind of a person who is going to take it serious if my friend whom I talk to on daily basis vanishes for any reason and is not available to talk. I would keep on thinking about if she is in some sort of trouble, or is she too busy for me? Or is there anything bothering her or is she upset? And there are going to be another 1000 thoughts jumping in the back of my mind, no matter how much I try to deviate my mind, I would end up thinking about the same thing eventually. Similarly, if something nice happens or someone says something to me that makes me profoundly gleeful, I am going to think about it till the time I am bored of that particular thought which is highly unlikely. Or at times, I tend to revise random conversations that I have with people, in my mind because you see for people who are habitual to over thinking, it is just not an easy task to let go off things which may seem insignificant to the rest of the world. That doesn't mean in any way that over thinkers that also includes me, are farigh or have nothing better to do. Nopes my dear readers, that is not the case. We do have a life but the thing is that being sensitive and overly sentimental makes you a little more fragile and vulnerable towards situations,incidents and of course people.

Oh well, so coming back to our heart vs. mind talks, I personally feel poised and self-reliant when I take decisions on the basis of what my heart tells me to do. For instance, if I want to eat that particular piece of aesthetically appetizing malt cake, and I do see myself gaining lots of calories after digesting it, chances are that I would go for it. I might later skip my meals or go for a walk to burn the calories but I would go for that cake. Because obviously, I know if I don’t grab that piece of cake, my siblings would certainly not even take this trouble of leaving a bit of it for me and it would be gone forever. Lol excuse me for brining that cake during the serious discussions, but I cannot help it (foodie alert). Similarly, I remember when I was in Pakistan, whenever I felt like talking to my best friend, I would without thinking rationally and giving a second thought about the time in the clock, would call them up and would make them sit and talk to me for couple of hours and believe me, no matter how sleepy we used to be during our tedious lectures the next day in school, we would never regret the conversation we enjoyed the previous night; Had I listen to my brain at that time, I would have nothing to look back to and cherish today. You see, I am not telling you guys to lock your brains, and shut your heads and stop using your mind, not at all. But I believe that you should certainly not ignore the instincts of your heart. If you haven’t talked to someone for a while because umm let’s assume they have been busy or not talking to you for any reason, and you are missing them but you are not sure of how would they react if you throw them a normal text. And this often is the case; our brain tells us to keep our ego prior while the heart is telling you to kill that ego and keep the person prior, just send a message to their inbox. What are going to be the possible consequences? 1.The person would reply back which is positive because that is what you wanted. 2. The person would reply but not the way you wanted to hear from them. 3. The person would not reply which is again a negative aspect. The common element in all these possibilities that I stated above is that you certainly can not blame your own self for anything. You made an effort, you did your part and now you have deprived yourself from all kinds of guilt making your heart guilty free. Hence, later at some point of life, you would have no reason to blame yourself. If someone did bad to you, broke your heart, bruised you emotionally, still do good to them. Your brain tells you to be practical, you might develop hatred or plot a revenge but your heart makes you act reasonable therefore, pray for them if you cannot do anything else because the worst part of every story is the regrets. The regret of letting go, the regrets of staying silent when you should have uttered a word, the regret of giving up on someone, the regret of not fighting for what you want, the regret of not making an effort for something, the regret of not spending time with your fam bam, the regret of having your ego bridge between your relations, the regret of not availing opportunities; these regrets pile up a hefty burden on your soul and the survival becomes hard. Therefore think wisely but the involvement of the heart is necessary while you make your choices because each time your brain fights a battle with your heart, your soul tears a little inside. Your brain may tells you to be selfish and think for your own self but your heart would always lead you towards a selfless path that would include others as well because your choices do affect the people around you or the people you are closer to.

Cheers.

-sabeekaay

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desifromthewest-blog · 8 years

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Toronto through My Eyes

Hello everyone.

Since I am fond of taking suggestions from my friends when it comes to scribbling on my blog, many of them encouraged me to share the experience of my stay in Canada here on the blog. Though I don’t feel like talking much about it because duh the nostalgia makes me pink eyed and lachrymose (consequences of being overly sentimental) at times but anyhow, I had to find an absorbing topic of discussion to overcome the state of writer’s block that I have been experiencing since past one week *looks down* . Okay I can partially be honest and confess about my laziness that plays a huge part as well. Since it is the best time of the year as the vacations have begun for most of us and I see people planning their trips to enthralling places around the world, I thought of taking this opportunity to apprise you guys of some compulsive things about Toronto (Canada); who knows one of you might end up partying in Canada sometime soon hence today, I shall talk about 6 things that I being a desi random girl liked about living in Canada as a student or from a tourist’s perspective.

6 things that would make a desi fall in love with Canada (Toronto):

1. Tourist Attraction: Well, to be honest, I have only been to almost 5 to 10 cities of Canada. There are so many sites that would make you go awe once you visit them. Toronto has a lot to offer its tourists but there are other cities as well that are breathe taking when it comes to the scenic beauty. So if you are planning to visit Canada, Toronto should be your first spot to visit since it is in the extreme South but as you move to North towards Manitoba (If you are brave enough to bear -50 degrees temperature), Saskatchewan in the west, Yukon Territories, Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver, Quebec City in east and there are many other cities and provinces that you would love for sure. Since my body is not very tolerant of cold; I start turning blue, shiver like a moving clown (if one exists) and my fingers bleed. Therefore, I never even expressed my interest in visiting these cities because most of them are extremely frosty and snowcapped for most of the year. Anyhow, let’s just stick to Toronto for now and I am listing down the places that would surely fascinate you within Ontario (Ontario is the province and Toronto is one of the many cities here. As the cities are pretty close to each other, you can always visit them if you go to Toronto).

- CN tower

- Toronto Island

- Royal Ontario Museum

- Ripley’s Aquarium

- Canada’s Wonderland

- High Park

- Roger’s Center

- Niagara Falls

- Lake Ontario

- Toronto Zoo

- Marine Land

- The Peace Tower

- Blue Mountain Resort

And the list goes on. I have been to most of the places mentioned above hence I would lay my emphasis on the ones that are my personal favorites, but if you are planning to visit other places apart from the ones I am writing about, then you can message me personally and I will give you a good idea of them too *takes a bow*. Let’s begin with CN tower. The CN tower is one of the tallest towers in the world standing at 1815 ft. above the ground. You can always Google for more facts and details if you want to. The elevator takes you up till the observation gallery and the glass floor where you can either click loads of pictures like a shoda or dine at one of world’s highest bars/restaurant and then later can brag about it on all kinds of social media sites. I somehow gathered all the courage to go above till the CN tower Sky pod which allows you to see the entire Lake Ontario and ocean as far as till New York (this is no exaggeration as Canada meets USA at one of the borders at Buffalo). So if you are keen to go for adventures, CN tower should be a primary option that also allows you to do the sky walk. The ticket isn’t very costly especially if you go in summers. I went there with my university so we received a student discount but a rough estimate for this trip would be 50$ excluding the skywalk, obviously.

Toronto Islands are wondrous if you admire nature and are fond of sight-seeing. You can book your tickets for the ferry ride or water taxies and there you go. It’s astounding as you enjoy the lake Ontario surrounding you from all the directions. These islands are home to Yacht Clubs and public marina so you can pay and personally sail a boat for a trip. Since the lakes are frozen in winters, you blatantly cannot go for a ferry ride but anyhow, the view is so breathtaking that you don’t want to miss it.

Canada’s Wonderland is a must go if you are fond of taking those dangerous rides especially the roller coaster. I am an acrophobic hence I usually avoid taking rides that go high due to past experiences (yeah I once fainted on a Ferris wheel). But the rides here are so freaking scary that people like me are highly likely to suffer a cardiac disorder. It is better to get yourself a pass otherwise the rides could be expensive. The pass could be made online or at the gates of the wonderland. I personally found the Wind Seeker and Flight Deck really umm nerve racking and horrifying but not everybody is a ‘phattu’ so you guys would enjoy.

Niagara Falls: Ah they are sheer beauty. Seeing those alluring waterfalls and that too from a cruise, it’s a splendid experience. The view is mesmerizing; you get to see the rainbows and jubilant sight of nature. There is a wide range of hotels near the falls to reserve your rooms because that’s what people do when they come here. The Niagara Falls are at one end of the Niagara City so people usually stay for a few days and there so many amazing places in the downtown of Niagara including the museums, theatres, clubs and resorts with complete tourist guides so once you go there, you can always explore the other options as well.

For baseball fans, Rogers Center is the premium choice though I doubt if desi people are genuinely interested in baseball lol. Such a prodigious stadium and if you are going to downtown Toronto, I bet you cannot stop drooling over it. Well, I am not talking too much about this one because you can always Google for further details and secondly, I am not at all in to sports unless its cricket or a bit of Tennis that I have started watching recently, but it is a really nice place.

2. Halal Food ‘Lots of it’. Well, getting access to halal food is a big issue when you move or even visit abroad. You can’t eat KFC, M.C. Donald’s, TGIF and all the other international fast-food chains. I haven’t eaten KFC since the past two years like can you imagine? Yeah we don’t have halal KFC’s here sadly in west. Aaaargh. But anyhow, here in Canada especially in Ontario, you get lots of halal desi food. In Toronto, you have good chains like Hero burger which is bit expensive but the taste is worth all the extra dollars. There is a huge food street in downtown Toronto named as Jervis Street and the priority food junction is the Lahori Tikka house. Well the food is amazing if you get your hands on nehari and biryani or even kebabs. This food street reminds me of the food street in Lahore because it’s always open and people sit there on mats and beds called ‘chaarpai’ and can enjoy lassi and qulfi and what not. From Italian pastas to Turkish kebabs, Chinese to Japanese sushi, fast-food and Arabic cuisine like shawarma and Lebanese falafel, everything is available in halal meat and that’s one thing I love about Canada. You will find halal food everywhere easily not just in Ontario but other provinces as well. I am listing down a small list of appetizing halal food spots in Toronto and GTA :

- Paramount Fine foods

- The Maharaja

- Veggie Burgers at Joey York dale

- Nan and Kabob

- Big Smoke Burgers

- Anatolia Restaurant

- Pepper Walk

- Szechuan Express

- Caribbean Queen

- Villa Medina

- Popeye’s Canada

- Panera Bread

- Afghan Kebob Cuisine

- Royal Jasmine

- East side Mario

3. Currency: Damn! I love Canadian currency. I am not sure if this is something that most of the people would found amusing or would appreciate about a place but the thing is that it smells similar to the maple syrup. Well it is a myth according to some sources but I personally have felt that the currency does smell like the maple syrup. The material is different from the notes we have in Pakistan or even the US dollar. The bills are not the ordinary paper kind but they are shiny, slippery and look pretty especially the 50 and 100 dollar bills. I remember once it was snowing heavily and I was well equipped with the winter essentials so it was hard for me to put my hands in and out of the pocket of my jacket again and again. Ah the pain of moving your hands when you are covered under layers of clothes. Since I was not wearing glove in one of my hand, I kept holding my bills but surprisingly, they didn’t get damp or moisten at all despite being exposed to the snow and rain for too long. So that’s another reason to appreciate the maple syrup scented bills.

4. Too many shopping malls. Oh man if you are a shopaholic like me, Toronto is so your place. From Eaton Center in the Downtown to Square One in Mississauga, all the malls have amazing architecture and you will find all the super famous international brands at one place. Shopping also gets unchallenging because of effective transport system in Toronto. Buses, Street cars, train, subways are really organized and they charge minimal amount for the rides. So if you are visiting as a tourist, you don’t have to take the trouble of hiring or renting a car that would take you for shopping. You can also take the bus or any other similar mode of transportation and the locals would be a great help to guide you plus the sign boards at the bus stations and terminals themselves are self-explanatory so there are least chances for you to lose your way.

5. The people. Canadians are the most hospitable and jovial people you shall ever meet. They would accept you warm heartedly irrespective of your race, color, gender and religion. I, being a student, had lot of interaction with my mates at university and outside the premises; I observed that these people are going to go out of the way to help you in the best possible manner. Ok so I remember when I visited US Consulate for my interview, I lost my way in the downtown (that’s where all the important buildings and offices are located) and my phone ditched me by not working, I missed my bus, it was raining cats and dogs hence it was a total mess and I was getting late for my appointment. There was this lady who saw me worried and she came to me, enquired about my problem and she actually accompanied me till I safely reached the destination. Not to forget, she herself was running late to work but that selfless human being was even willing to wait for me so that she could escort me back to the bus after my interview. Isn’t that the sweetest thing you could do for a stranger? People who know me well are familiar to the fact that I am panicking for slightest reasons lol but every time I got into any trouble, the locals were generous enough to help me out. That is not just me but I myself saw many such situations where these people were ready to alleviate the issue despite the creed you belong to.

6. Downtown Toronto: the labyrinth kind of streets in the downtown, the closely packed small cafes, the tall narrow buildings touching the sky, the overly crowded roads, people walking down the streets rather than driving their cars, long queues on weekends outside the clubs and bars, the scintillating neon lights on the billboards, the gleaming CN Tower talking to the clouds, the crowd applauding in the Rodgers Center, people constantly checking in and out of the hotels, the musical concerts on the local streets, the loud music on roads and much more. This is what downtown of Toronto is all about. One of the reasons you shall certainly fall for Toronto at the first glimpse. The Downtown of Toronto is different but captivating – one of the best Downtowns for sure.

Ah talking about all this makes me miss that place. Anyhow, I hope I was persuading enough and made my point clear. And to all those who had been asking me about my experience of Canada, they would have got some idea of it too though the homesickness and extreme cold were the two factors that gave me a tough time there and so I used to whine about them all the time. I am also posting a few pictures from my days there. I wonder why Tumblr doesn’t allow me to post pictures along with the text. Well, never mind you can see them above.

Take care and happy reading.

Cheers,

-sabeekaay

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desifromthewest-blog · 8 years

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Hello everyone.

6 things that would make a desi fall in love with Canada (Toronto):

1.Tourist Attraction: Well, to be honest, I have only been to almost 5 to 10 cities of Canada. There are so many sites that would make you go awe once you visit them. Toronto has a lot to offer its tourists but there are other cities as well that are breathe taking when it comes to the scenic beauty. So if you are planning to visit Canada, Toronto should be your first spot to visit since it is in the extreme South but as you move to North towards Manitoba (If you are brave enough to bear -50 degrees temperature), Saskatchewan in the west, Yukon Territories, Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver, Quebec City in east and there are many other cities and provinces that you would love for sure. Since my body is not very tolerant of cold and I start turning blue and shiver and my fingers bleed, I never even expressed my interest in visiting these cities because most of them are extremely frosty and snowcapped for most of the year. Anyhow, let’s just stick to Toronto for now and I am listing down the places that would surely fascinate you within Ontario (Ontario is the province and Toronto is one of the many cities here. As the cities are pretty close to each other, you can always visit them if you go to Toronto).

- CN tower

- Toronto Island

- Royal Ontario Museum

- Ripley’s Aquarium

- Canada’s Wonderland

- High Park

- Roger’s Center

- Niagara Falls

- Lake Ontario

- Toronto Zoo

- Marine Land

- The Peace Tower

- Blue Mountain Resort

- Paramount Fine foods

- The Maharaja

- Veggie Burgers at Joey York dale

- Nan and Kabob

- Big Smoke Burgers

- Anatolia Restaurant

- Pepper Walk

- Szechuan Express

- Caribbean Queen

- Villa Medina

- Popeye’s Canada

- Panera Bread

- Afghan Kebob Cuisine

- Royal Jasmine

- East side Mario

3.Currency: Damn! I love Canadian currency. I am not sure if this is something that most of the people would found amusing or would appreciate about a place but the thing is that it smells similar to the maple syrup. Well it is a myth according to some sources but I personally have felt that the currency does smell like the maple syrup. The material is different from the notes we have in Pakistan or even the US dollar. The bills are not the ordinary paper kind but they are shiny, slippery and look pretty especially the 50 and 100 dollar bills. I remember once it was snowing heavily and I was well equipped with the winter essentials so it was hard for me to put my hands in and out of the pocket of my jacket again and again. Ah the pain of moving your hands when you are covered under layers of clothes. Since I was not wearing glove in one of my hand, I kept holding my bills but surprisingly, they did not get damp or moisten at all despite being exposed to the snow and rain for too long. So that’s another reason to appreciate the maple syrup scented bills.

4.Too many shopping malls. Oh man if you are a shopaholic like me, Toronto is so your place. From Eaton Center in the Downtown to Square One in Mississauga, all the malls have amazing architecture and you will find all the super famous international brands at one place. Shopping also gets unchallenging because of effective transport system in Toronto. Buses, Street cars, train, subways are really organized and they charge minimal amount for the rides. So if you are visiting as a tourist, you don’t have to take the trouble of hiring or renting a car that would take you for shopping. You can also take the bus or any other similar mode of transportation and the locals would be a great help to guide you plus the sign boards at the bus stations and terminals themselves are self-explanatory so there are least chances for you to lose your way.

5.The people. Canadians are the most hospitable and jovial people you shall ever meet. They would accept you warm heartedly irrespective of your race, color, gender and religion. I, being a student, had lot of interaction with my mates at university and outside the premises; I observed that these people are going to go out of the way to help you in the best possible manner. Ok so I remember when I visited US Consulate for my interview, I lost my way in the downtown (that’s where all the important buildings and offices are located) and my phone ditched me by not working, I missed my bus, it was raining cats and dogs hence it was a total mess and I was getting late for my appointment. There was this lady who saw me worried and she came to me, enquired about my problem and she actually accompanied me till I safely reached the destination. Not to forget, she herself was running late to work but that selfless human being was even willing to wait for me so that she could escort me back to the bus after my interview. Isn’t that the sweetest thing you could do for a stranger? People who know me well are familiar to the fact that I am panicking for slightest reasons lol but every time I got into any trouble, the locals were generous enough to help me out. That is not just me but I myself saw many such situations where these people were ready to alleviate the issue despite the creed you belong to.

Take care and happy reading.

Cheers,

-sabeekaay

#Canada #Toronto #torontodiaries #vacations

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desifromthewest-blog · 8 years

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LET’S SEND A GREETING CARD?

Hello everyone.

So the other day I went to a shopping mart with my mommy to grab the regular weekly grocery. You guys are well aware of how desi mums tend to be. They plan their trips to market with this intention of buying a ‘few’ things but as soon as they enter the premises of the market and get to scan various departments and shelves, guess what? They end up buying almost the entire store from extra bottles of shampoos to extra pasta packets to extra everything.

Anyhow, while my mother was busy doing grocery, I immediately ran towards the cosmetic aisle (my biggest fascination these days and in future) however on my way, I saw another section of the store and stopped promptly because it was my forever favorite greeting cards section. Well, this might sound crazy, but I have always had ‘this’ thing for greeting cards. Before leaving Pakistan, I gave away most of my stuff to my cousins and friends (now I know why girls rant about giving away their clothes to younger sisters when they are getting married ha-ha) and I had to throw away the other half of the stuff I possessed *sniff sniff* because well obviously, all thanks to the custom department, they don’t let you carry more than two luggage bags and a hand carry for most of the airlines and if you are taking a transit from London, that’s an exceptional case because they only allow you a single luggage; one of the reasons I had to give up on that Etihad flight and choose Turkish airline instead. Sigh. So the motive behind telling you all these airline stories is that I had limited capacity for my stuff. As I emptied my wardrobe to pack up my stuff, i found a box containing greeting cards that I kept carefully somewhere beneath my clothes and had forgotten about completely.

Now let’s talk about that box of greeting cards. They contained the Eid cards that I used to exchange with my friends when I was a kid ha-ha. Remember the time when there was this hype about eid gifts and those fancy cartoonish eid cards, those were the times man. All my birthday cards (I think cards should be mandatory along the birthday gift), I mean i love gifts too duhhh but cards are the cherry to the cake hayee) and a few friendship cards. Just to tell you more about myself, it was a ritual that on my birthday, my best friend would always get me a handmade card like a huge one, sometimes a booklet type card or a poster reflecting her creativity. I have brought them here with me and I guess I am going to keep them forever because they are too cute and have all our inside jokes. I am sharing their pictures just to give you all some idea. Also, I have this huge booklet that my other best friend gifted me before she was leaving for America (isn’t it ironic that despite living in the same country, we haven’t met each other since past ten months) yes, I know you are reading this and this is a warning for you to show me poop face as soon as possible huh. Well excuse this; I shall continue with these taunts on our private chat... So coming back to that booklet card, this booklet comprise of all our pictures, quotes and uncountable memories that we made in our high school. So it’s pretty special to me.

The only time your siblings and cousins are nice to you is when you are leaving them for whatsoever purpose, I swear. My cousins also decided to act decent and amiable when I was leaving Karachi for Canada, and each one of them gave me miss you cards and small gifts (isn’t it cute?) oh and lots of chocolates that I cheerfully munched during my flight delay on Istanbul airport because to be honest, the food served on Turkish airline was not at all appetizing ah don’t even want to remember it. Nothing could be more disappointing than receiving tasteless food on flight like dude I didn’t pay this huge amount for a bland baby steak with a table spoon of flavorless mashed potatoes and inadequate serving of stir fried veggies. Like seriously?? The ambiance was so pleasant but the food was completely opposite.

One of the many differences that I observed between Pakistan and America or I would rather assume the entire west is that in Pakistan, the trend to exchange greeting cards has declined a lot in the past couple of years. I remember when I was a kid; we loved exchanging greeting cards on different occasion. Well the reason is pretty obvious; we didn’t have cellphones. And I believe it was a blessing that we grew up during the time when cellphone did not exist or even if it did, my parents did not ruin my childhood by providing access to all these gadgets that we have now. Cellphones have surely made our lives simpler and communication easier but I don’t think that a happy birthday wall post on face book or a birthday text or even a phone call would be as thoughtful as a letter or a birthday card. I read the following words as I was scrolling down my instagram and couldn’t agree more ‘What a lot we lost when we stopped writing letters. You cannot reread a phone call’. I have been fond of writing letters and sending greeting cards because I believe one can easily pour their heart while writing, imagining the recipient is right in front of them and it is more like a beautiful one sided conversation where you pen down your feelings while the other person reads you. Plus writing a letter shows effort. Somebody thought of you, invested time to write to you, cared for you which show the feelings are real. The way a person writes is a reflection of his soul.

Ok so coming back to the point of discussion, it is conventional here In America and Canada to send greeting cards to your loved ones. They have beautiful greeting cards available at post offices, stationary shops and almost at every other common place so it’s pretty hard to resist the temptation. Whether its mother’s day or father’s day, graduation or anniversary, a regular missing you card or a birthday wish, people prefer mailing greeting cards to their loved ones to acknowledge their essence. You may delete a message, forget a phone call, overlook a post on social media but things like these could be kept safely, carried along and forever remembered. Why not have renaissances of this trend? Make it a habit of sending post cards, letters and greeting cards to show adoration towards people to make them feel special, not just necessarily on particular occasions. You don’t have to be rich and spend millions to make someone feel significant and pleased; a small letter, an email or a greeting card would cost you nothing rather than a few minutes (if you are not fond of writing essays in cards unlike me) but can give them the bliss of their life.

-sabeekaay

#greetingcards #restoringtrends #sendacard #allsmiles #happyoccasions

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desifromthewest-blog · 8 years

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Back to Work!

Hello everyone.

It has been a while since I posted something on my beloved blog. Blame my exams, not me okay? Since I got done with my last exam today, I immediately grabbed my laptop and started addressing you all. There are way too many things that I need to write about like I am so glad that you guys are reading my blogs and appreciating it as well. A big thank you to each one of you for blessing my blog with your attention and precious time.

I have been taking suggestions from my friends and the feedback is overwhelming Alhamdullilah. Many of you have asked me to cover certain topics and write about them, so yeah I am going to lay my focus entirely on your suggestions now.

Also, since its freelance blogging, I would like to bring in your notice that from now onwards, I am also going to add a few stories and pieces of writing that I previously wrote, here on my blog.

So, stay tuned. There is a lot more coming your way. Hope you have a great beginning to your vacations.

Cheers.

-sabeekaay

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desifromthewest-blog · 8 years

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21 lessons I learnt by the time I turned 21

Hello readers. Hope everyone is surviving through their finals and bidding a final goodbye to their semesters. Well I am pretty sure that you guys have conveniently neglected a minor change that I made in this blog. Ah there you go, now stop looking here and there. It’s right at the top- the caption duh. The reason to do this is to warn you guys that if you are not 21 yet,I bet you would not agree to most of the points I shall highlight in this post below. Well that’s mainly because I believe once you are out of your teen age, you already have experienced many ups and downs in your academics, your personal or social life therefore, by the time you turn 21, somehow you do attain maturity which is quite essential for your personal growth in the years to come.

So we shall begin now and I hope while reading this piece, most of you guys would be able to relate with it. I am no guru or a professional to make any judgements but I believe,experience itself is a great teacher and that is the ultimate quality of life. We all are dealing with similar issues or I would rather say circumstances ; what makes it different for each individual is the temperament, the circle and the most vital of all,the perception towards everything. Well I guess I should stop this lecture and jump on to the main content.

TWENTY-ONE LESSONS I LEARNT BY THE TIME I TURNED TWENTY-ONE

Family comes first. Always. We have heard this too many times but once you confront the realities of life, you will start believing this mantra too. Nobody, I repeat, nobody in this world could love you as selflessly as your parents do. They may have old thinking or I would rather use the term ‘generation gap’ but they have mastered this art of living life hence if they stop you from meeting certain people or advice you about your company, listen to them. Your parents are struggling hard to provide you with necessities and luxuries they have been deprived of in their lives, therefore; it’s our duty to make their dreams come true. I guess there is no need to talk about how each of us should treat them and respect them because since day one we have been taught all this, but learn to value the most selfless relationship you shall ever encounter in your lives.

You guys have no idea how lucky you are MashaAllah if you still have both of your parents by your side. Death is irrefutable and everyone has to depart from this world. Some leave us too soon and nothing could be done about it. So spend quality time with your parents because the loss of either parent is horrendous. And no other love can compensate it. No matter how loving are your grandparents, uncles (chacha, taya, mamoos), there is no one as compromising and sincere as your dad. And same goes for your mom’s too.

We all have siblings that annoy us to death. God, if you are a sister to brothers, you must be well aware of the pain of getting scolded by parents even though you made no mistake, being a victim of constant fights over TV remote, being forced to watch football matches and cricket unless you yourself are a sports fan, this constant nagging and teasing would accompany you till you get married lol. Anyhow, your siblings would always be your first best friends I still doubt the best part but once you get away from them, you miss them the most. It took a lot of courage to say that I swear.

Always follow your dreams. We all have seen three idiots and I guess none of us would like to grow up as Chattur. Everyone has this right to choose their subjects of interest. We do get pressurized by families at times to become doctors, engineers,chartered accountants and what not. But you cannot maintain focus if you don’t find a particular course of study appealing. It is very unfortunate of our society to look down upon certain professions because ‘we’ think they are not prestigious enough or you won’t make billions out of it. I am immensely proud of my best friend who broke this stereotype and despite studying pre medical in her O levels and FSC, she went against her family and decided to study Film production. And guess what? she is doing wonders at her university.

It is essential to have hobbies. Reading books tops this list though. If you are a book worm or you love reading novels, you already earned a bonus point. Apart from reading, photography, blogging, writing, gymming, cooking, sports and the list continues… you can do anything that makes you pleased. It is not only going to help you explore the world around you but also is a key source of self-confidence.

Be wise in your friendships. Obviously there is no criteria of settling down for friendships, but be very careful when you label people as your friends or best friends. Most of us take friendships too seriously and we invest a lot while not getting anything in return. I know you do not expect returns in friendship, but there is no harm in expecting loyalty, honesty, support and if you are not receiving any of this, then you should think about it.

Your best friend is the one who knows you,pain behind your silence, all your weaknesses, your faults and still opt to stand by your side. Through thick and thin, through happiness and pain.One who defends you in your absence, and loves you without bragging on social media every single day. It is funny we make best friends at every stage of life; in primary, secondary, high school, college, universities. You see there is a big difference in a best friend and people you spend time with every day. I believe it takes years to develop that cognitive bond with people and they are the ones who deserve to be called your best friends.

Also, you cannot call the entire world your best friend. Seriously, when I was a kid and was asked about my best friend, my list consisted of almost 20 to 30 people including my cousins, neighbours, classmates and even my books (that’s lame actually). But it is completely different now. I would not mention the number and names of my best friends here because they all are reading this and it is going to lead a war but a few years back, we didn’t even bother recognizing each other’s existence. Thank God it’s not the same any more.

It is imperative to spend some time alone without any of your friends or family. Spending time alone doesn’t make you a Buddha duh but you manage to seek solace and peace. Keep your phone aside, make yourself a mug of coffee or hot chocolate, go to your terrace or balcony and sit under the open sky. I bet this is sometimes the best cure to everything. You find answers to your questions, procure tranquillity and elevate your mood.

Stop stressing over little things. Failing a class test or a quiz was a big deal back in primary or secondary classes. But then life happened, we grew up and failing a test or even a mid-term is no big deal once you enter your university life. Lol. It becomes a ritual and we do enjoy it unless you are the only one in the entire group scoring poor grades, then that’s another case.

Learn to forgive. We do get betrayed by people we trust the most. It’s very common these days. People are unpredictable which makes it impossible to know their intentions. No matter how brutally they kill your trust, forgive them. There is a big difference between forgiving and forgetting. Forgiving people gives you power to heal, to progress. There is no point in holding grudges against people who let you down. Plus Allah keeps his forgiving beings closer to him hence FORGIVE. But never forget what you learnt.

I learnt that trust is more eminent than love. Because you might still have this tendency to love people who let you down but you cannot patently trust them back. Trust is hard to win and harder to retain back once broken hence be careful when it comes to trusting people guys.

Also,learn to accept things. Most of us that include me as well are not a good host when it comes to welcoming and adapting to change. Hence when things do not go as we plan them, it gets almost impossible to digest the changing realities. Result? Depression and stress. You cannot control people and at times things too, thus we need to realize that we cannot mould the circumstances according to our own will.

You do have a life outside social media. It is nice to be active on face book, IG, snap chat and what not, God bless the person who invented smart phones and all these apps. But you should learn to maintain a balance between your personal life and the social life on social media. Nobody’s genuinely interested if you are vacationing at Miami beaches or if your boyfriend asked you out on a date. It is better to live that moment rather than capturing it for the sake of likes and comments.

Your secrets are safe as long as they stay with you. Oh my God!! What is she even trying to say? my secrets are safe with my sister my best friend. There are certain things in life that shouldn’t be shared with anyone else be it your partner, your friends or anyone else. Some things should be kept confined. The less people know about you, the better it is.

Effort counts more than words. Ah my personal favourite lesson that I learnt in all these years. Its human nature to get pleased by words. After all that is what a writer is best at; he plays with words to make you fall in love with his stories and characters. But darling, your life is not a scripted story. Unfortunately, we do fall for words, but these words are useless if they are not supported by actions. Let’s look at an example: if a person keeps on telling me that they want to see me but they don’t make any effort to fix an appointment or a meeting with me, then what good are these words for? Your actions roar louder than the words you say.

‘Speech is silver, silence is gold’. You cannot just overlook this one. You see, you will encounter several situations in life where you will realize that it is better to stay silent rather than wasting your precious words. Firstly, you lose the value of your words. Secondly, the way not every action needs a reaction, similarly not every question needs to be answered. Silence is the best reply you can offer at times. Hence learn to seal your lips and leave things unsaid.

Not all promises shall be fulfilled. We meet people, they vow, make promises, but promises are nothing more than a trail of words if they remain unfulfilled. People would promise you galaxies, your friends would promise you a million things but you must apprehend that not all promises would be kept.

It is always the game of PRIORITIES. PRIORITIES PRIORITIES PRIORITIES. Remember, if you are a priority, there would be no excuses. If you are an option, there are going to be nothing but excuses. Nobody is too busy for anyone. We can all manage some time out and talk to the ones we hold prior to our hearts. So the next time, anyone (I am not talking in reference to your partners or friends, we are talking in general so no offences) presents you this excuse of being too occupied and ‘busy’, know where your stand in their life.

People will change. Change is a crucial element of human nature and we cannot resist it. At times, it’s the circumstances that change people. also, people change with the passage of time and develop maturity in their thoughts. Even I am not the same person I was a year before. And I believe it is beneficial that we change as long as the change is positive. Just like Taylor swift’s love story or Pitbull’s songs do not amuse me any more ha-ha.

Ok so we are the last point. Distance doesn’t mean drifting apart. Open your mind and wipe off all these thrash thoughts .Well I am not going to say much about this right now as I intend to do a separate post on this one in future but remember, never use distance as an excuse to spoil your relationships, friendships or to get rid of your responsibilities. If your intentions are pure, you are strong willed and determined towards something, nothing is going to change no matter what; if you are willing to work it out, it shall. Distance means nothing when people mean everything.

I guess this was the longest post I have done so far and if you have read the entire blog, then cheers because you are half way down the road to positivity. Also, always stay closer to Allah. People are going to break you, disappoint you, hurt you but if you have Allah by your side, you shall get through any depressing phase in life. Keep praying and keep spreading positive vibes.

Again, I didn’t mean to offend anyone and this is entirely based on what I experienced, read, observed and of course witnessed myself.

Happy reading guys.

-sabeekaay

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desifromthewest-blog · 8 years

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Hello guys!!

So all the desi people are familiar with the picture I am posting above. Yes guyssss! It’s Biryani - the ultimate source of contentment for almost everyone. Whether you be a part of a wedding or you attend some funeral, in happiness and in misery, through love and hatred, during friendships and enmity, at home or abroad, routine hangouts or a special celebration, a fine dining restaurant or a thela ‘small food cart’, in diets and on cheat days, self-cooked or mommy’s special, Biryani is going to be your bae forever. Yes I know we all love biryani and it’s always going be the prime preference. No matter how many places you visit, how much you explore, how many cuisines you try, one cannot just say NO to Biryani.

Well, I was just going through my phone’s gallery a few minutes ago ( To be honest : I perform this ritual quite often just to get rid of all the weird and ugly selfies that I usually click to either escape boredom or to snap chat). Hence I found this picture that is posted above. Yeah I cooked biryani two days back though it wasn’t the first time I made it. I have been making it since many years. I guess all the girls would agree that it’s one of the most uncomplicated and straight forward dishes to cook right? Hehe. But this time, I tried experimenting with Sindhi biryani and guess what? It turned out to be amazing. My brothers who are never fully contented with whatever I cook ( you know how brothers are, no matter how much effort you invest, they will always find ‘keeras’ and some reason to tease you) . However surprisingly, this time they praised my efforts without saying anything bad so I guess yeah I did well yayyy the award goes to yours truly….. *pats my own back* ugh never mind. Therefore I decided to pay honour and dedicate this post to everyone’s favourite and beloved ‘BIRYANI’.

It has been almost a year and half since I moved abroad. The first 8 months in Canada and since then in USA. But believe me; I still crave for Pakistani food like anything. We do have many desi food outlets here though Toronto is a 100 times better than New Jersey when it comes to availability of desi food, but I never found the taste that we have in Pakistan especially Karachi. One of the many reasons I can’t wait to go back to Pakistan is to have my hands over all the food that I have been craving for in this entire time. We Karachiites are lucky in terms of the delectable and traditionally appetizing food and countless food franchises we have there. It’s a big deal, seriously. You only realise the worth of these little things, when you no longer have access to them. *wipes off tears* oh this reminds me of that dialogue ‘I hate tears, Pushpa’ lol. I know it’s irrelevant and there wasn’t any need for this Pushpa dialogue here but anyhow, I have to insert Bollywood everywhere :’)

Well, you guys must be thinking the reason behind this post. Is she trying to be funny? Is she out of her mind? Has she lost it? Oh she might have lost it because of her finals. LOL. NO. There are two reasons behind this post. Firstly, I wanted to dedicate a separate post specifically to Biryani. Thanks for existing; you have been with me through thick and thin. You gave me laughter and ultimate joy :’) much love for you.

Secondly, I wanted you guys to take some time out from your busy schedules to appreciate the little things we have that give us sheer exaltation. It’s essential to keep thanking Allah for all his blessings (I guess you all would agree that Biryani is nothing less than a bounty, no?)

Well before I take a leave from here, I would like to add one more thing here. Another reason behind this post was to give a hint to all my friends that when in near future, would I grace you all with my presence and visit Karachi, I want you all to treat me and take me to all the super amazing café’s and food streets *wink wink* yay I have made my point clear I guess :P

Take care, everyone. Keep enjoying Biryani and stay tuned. Hope you like everything so far. Also feel free to give me suggestions regarding anything that you would like to be discussed here. Cheers.

-sabeekaay

#biryani #foodporn #appreciationpost #foodielife

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desifromthewest-blog · 8 years

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Good morning readers.

So recently I just had some chitchat with a couple of my friends and instead of gossiping with me and conferring over random people ( Tbh: that’s what we mostly do, don’t judge), all they were doing was stressing about their exams ; whether it be their CIE or the university examinations. It is finally that time of the year where most of us are either praying for marvels to happen, or are striving real hard to save our GPA. But I believe we find it expedient to stress over it and whine about it right eh? Come on don’t give me that smile I know you all are worried and cannot wait to say a big hello to your freedom, and that includes me as well however I am amongst those obstinate people who happily waste their time till a night before exam and then brag about going for an all-nighter LOL.

So today I am going to give you some easy tips on how to cope up with your exam stress; P.s don’t worry, these tips won’t be like the usual ones we often find on various forums. Naah. Not at all duhh. These are really practical ones and at some point of time, I did follow them in my real life (yeah I am just like you guys, been through CIE terror, university finals, SAT, IELTS and what not. Just don’t enquire about my SAT scores hayeee i tried my best okay :p)

Well excuse me for all the idhar udhar ki baaten waghera waghera, once I begin to babble about something, I can go on and on about it for hours I swear. My friends and my call bills are talking evidence for that but anyhow you guys still love me haina? :3

So, let’s get to the topic. TIPS TO COPE UP WITH EXAM STRESS (EXCLUDES THE MEDICAL STUDENTS, I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE LIVING A TOUGH LIFE)

1. Make a schedule like a proper plan that is suitable enough to follow, you see. I used to make such perfect kinda schedules. At least they seemed ideal to me; 12 hours for law, 3 hours for economics MCQS etc. And guess what? I never followed it. Ha ha the irony. Because obviously, 12 hours of watching continuous Bollywood movies is far better than studying Human rights act no? But yeah, it works so try to make a workable plan.

2. Secondly, make small notes. This goes out for all the O levels and A-levels students. Guys! Develop this habit of making notes while you are reading or learning from your textbooks. If you are taking tuitions, then you already have plenty of notes for the last moment revision. I feel like a guru now that I am over the CIE phase ha ha though I am still struggling in my university life.

3. Chill before your exams. My mom would kill me if she reads this one for sure. Desi parents don’t appreciate this mantra of chilling before exams. My mom still freaks out and gives me those taunts and emotional lectures when I am playing candy crush on my phone, a night before exam but it works. Your mind needs some rest guys. Our brains are already so occupied with stuff like heart breaks, helping our friends with their problems, gossips, sales, movies and what not? Uspe se exams bhi? Noway. I watched ‘Band Baaja Barat’ a couple of hours before my History exam. I am serious okay? And that helped me in two ways. Firstly, I was relaxed, secondly I had something good to fantasize about in the hour before my exam where we were asked to sit idle and do just nothing. Ranvir Singh guyssss.

4. Take a good sleep before exams. Yes I messed up my Biology exam in my O levels just because I watched some random football match instead of studying and I had to pull an all-nighter. Therefore, I was sleeping the entire time during my exam. Not even kidding, I got several warnings from the invigilators there. So a good sleep is essential for a healthy mind and of course, it cures dark circles too. You cannot certainly ignore the beauty part, okay? :3

5. Always, dress nicely before your exam. It gives you self-confidence which is vital. One of my friends told me that she got a good grade in her viva because the professor was happy to see her confidence despite her few wrong answers lol. I still doubt this but it uplifts your mood and reduces your anxiety bringing you positive vibes. I repeat I am not asking you guys to be ‘overconfident’. NEVER. But self-confidence is a definite bonus.

6. Umm. This is essential. Always eat something before your exam. Let me tell you why. I always get anxiety attacks and suffer nausea before my exams. I experience almost all the symptoms of anxiety; shivering, dizziness, panic attacks and icy cold hands. So I made this a habit to consume something before my exam. I still remember how I used to buy snacks from some shop near my exam venue and used to eat it calmly while all the students used to give me that glare ‘is she crazy?’ But it helps. P.s don’t eat heavy food please. I once gobbled the entire Mc Chicken before my exam and it made me so uncomfortable during my exam. Cheese makes me feel sleepy so not a good idea. But do eat okay? FOOD

7. Last but never the least, always pray. You can never hope for a miracle without praying. Trust Allah, pray, work hard, make your parents proud, pray for everyone, give your best shot and follow the tips above. You shall get through this phase.

No matter how much you curse your exams, once you are done with them and get through this phase, you will surely miss them. Yes, you will.

Ouch!! Even I have my finals in the coming week so I shall go and procrastinate and stare at the wall and do every insignificant thing rather than studying. Haha typical desi ehh?

Tatas. Do share your reviews with me. Happy studying!

Best of luck to you all. Cheers.

-sabeekaay

#examseason #examstress #happystudying #bestofluckeveryone

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desifromthewest-blog · 8 years

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A big hello to all my readers :3

You must be thinking who are these two ladies wearing hideous kinda uniform and looking super fuggles ( OK so fuggles is my own vocabulary. Read : super dooper ugly). You all must have best friends. they are essential for your blissful survival but I bet you won’t have a lame best friend. Or you might have one but I can bet on that ke itni lame nai hogy jitni meri wali hai ( yes I am serious, not even giving that cheeky smile) though she says the same about me ( you need to be on my side pals because you are my readers right? :3)

Anyway, this is one of the surprises I got on my birthday. I was really vacuous at that time since I failed to figure out the unusual and flop acting that my friends were doing to keep it all confidential. How would have I been able to guess it when most of the time all they do is act lame and stupid ha ha.

So I was stuffing this big chunk of Hobnob chocolate cake in her mouth. Don’t you guys think she should be the one performing this ritual? Sigh.. Best friends these days. I tell you. This is a snag of being friends with a ‘bhukkar’ read: foodie. Anyway, it’s okay because guess what? When we gave her a farewell which was all planned and executed by yours truly *takes a bow*, I was so keen to have my hands on her farewell cake that I almost forgot the primary purpose of the entire event. lol :3

Desi people are the best when you talk about FOOD. check out the intensity as I write about food. We are a living evidence for that. You know we are always craving for food whether it be lasagne or pizza ( I am not a pizza fan) or Tipu k burgers - people living in ‘defence’ or I would rather call the ‘burgers’ of Karachi must be familiar with it.

Do share your best friends moments with me and they should be desi enough okay?

Oops I forgot to introduce her to you guys. She is also Amreekan girl but very paindu I swear. Her logics are super witty. But anyhow, only I can make fun of her because I have this legal right of doing so. Legal rights? We have to bring law everywhere, you know we still brag about being law students in our high school ( don’t even bother asking our grades) they will contradict my statements above lulz.

I shall take a leave. She won’t be able to handle all these praises. I am also expecting to receive a long message on Facebook as soon as she is gonna read this with lots of inappropriate words/slang/ you know what. *beeep beeep beep* so bye.

-sabeekaay

#bestfriend #appreciationpost #happyreading

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desifromthewest-blog · 8 years

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You always have to choose wisely when you fall in love. Remember! Your self respect > Love. If someone is merely treating you as one of their many options, you need to give a second thought about it for sure. You deserve someone who loves you without any conditions. You need someone who showers their 110% attention and affection on you. Someone who goes out of their way to make you feel extra special. Someone who doesn’t use ‘distance’ as an excuse. Someone who is never 'too’ busy for you. If you are not getting any of this, shut your doors for that person. You don’t need to beg someone for attention. If it’s not given free, it’s certainly not worth it. Your self respect is PRIOR!!!!

The reference was taken from novel Amar Bail written by Umera Ahmed.

You must be thinking ke what happened to me? So serious and all? Don't worry. I was just trying to show my serious side and that's all. You know we do have serious kinda readers on every blog so I don't want to disappoint anyone. But hey? Remember these golden words :3

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desifromthewest-blog · 8 years

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It has been almost two years since I left Pakistan. I still remember 15.01.2015. I was entangled in disparate emotions. Overwhelmed because yay I received admission in one of the top business schools in CA. I was all enthusiastic to welcome the new escapade of studying abroad. You know it is a big deal in desi families if someone goes abroad for higher studies. However I also had this privilege to be the first girl from the famjam who was going abroad for academic purpose. Damn them rishtedaron ki baaaten. Those naseehaten. ‘Beta goron se duur se rehna’ ‘zada party mat krna’. Hayeee yeh woh etc etc. On the contrary, I was grieving over the feeling of abandoning behind my family and friends. The thought of an independent life seems really appealing when you are applying to international universities but once you begin struggling in that life, it’s no longer amusing tbh. So with all those thoughts and confusions, I left my home. The worst part was that my family didn’t come to see me off at the airport because of those screwed security measures that our government was trying to adopt after those attacks on airport.

As I reached the airport, I immediately said goodbye to my uncles who accompanied me on this ride and I went inside the departure lounge. Damn! It was the very first time I was travelling alone without my family so I was shuddering and shedding tears throughout. The entire boarding and luggage thingie took a few hours. And by the time I reached the waiting lounge, it was 5 something in the morning. I still remember there was this aviation lady who came to me out of nowhere. She came closer and gave me that weird sa glare. I ignored her because I was given strict instructions by family not to engage myself in any convos and chit chats with strangers. You know how ghar wale people are. Hence I decided to switch my seat in the waiting lounge. ‘Beta ap ki tabiyat tou theek hai?’ she asked me politely. I nodded and lied to her that I was okay while deep inside, I wanted to pick my bags up and run away back to my home. I immediately went to the restroom for the final touch ups as I had to board the plane in the next couple of minutes. And I was shocked to see my face. Damnnnnnn. I was looking like a complete weirdo. My hair were such a mess. Since I cried so much on the airport, my mascara and kajal smudged together in a way that caused me to look like a victim of a bad beating in some boxing ring. And that was the moment of realization for me. Now I knew the reason behind the sympathy that aviation lady was showering towards me. Haha. Well that was one of the most embarrassing situations I ever encountered in my life. Tbh: this is just one of the many :p .

-sabeekaay

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